Means of sorting objects by their weight



Aug. 18, 1953 A. HoRNER MEANS OF SORTING4 OBJECTS BY THEIR WEIGHT Filed sept. 6, 1947 3 Sheets-Shea*I l Aug. 18, 1953 A, HORNER 2,649,201

' MEANS OF' SQRTING OBJECTS BY THEIR WEIGHT Filed Sept. 6, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 i 9/ 55 95 a 42 357 90 gli z 432 E L 79 66, 'a7 97 69 77 r 47 7365?: E 47 7@ l '2 9 .69 64 96 97 l :5f-F4 I -1 l (IL. 1.6 75 ,f prf n F62, /3 I l l I f 67 741 '72 -l 5 l /0/y @f W 55 E /36 /2 Z 37 70 I @4l ATTO l2 N EY.

Aug. 18, 1953 A, HORNER 2,649,201.

MEANS OF SORTING OBJECTS BY THEIR WEIGHT Filed Sept. 6, 1947 3-Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR,

AL 5527 Haw/LQ BY @UAM ATTORNEYS.

Patented ug. i8,

UNITED STATES OFFICE MEANS F SORTING OBJECTS BY THEIR WEIGHT Application September 6, 1947, Serial No. 772,545

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to weighing machinery, and particularly pertains to means of sorting objects by their weight.

In handling products which are to be selected as having uniform weight or in packaging products where it is necessary to insure that the individual containers are filled with a quantity of material, the aggregate of which has a uniform weight, it is common practice to lill containers automatically with an amount of a product approximating a desired weight, and then to check the containers individually or at intervals along the run of containers in a manual operation to ascertain the weight, after which the amount of contents of the container is adjusted to insure that the contents will exceed a specified minimum weight. These automatic and manual operations involve considerable time and labor, with the result that the cost per package unit is increased of necessity. It is desirable to provide means acting automatically therefore to sort articles, packages or containers by weight. It is the principal object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a method and means of handling articles so that articles meeting a desired weight specification will pass through the machine without requiring any attention, and so that packages which are above minimum weight and packages which are below minimum weight may be separated from each other and from the packages meeting specification, thus allowing this relatively small proportion of packages to be corrected as to weight in a simple and rapid operation.

The present invention contemplates the provision of means for moving objects, packages or containers along a horizontal runway and across weighing means whereby said objects may be sorted as to weight and segregated into objects meeting weight specification, objects below weight specification, and those above Weight specification, the said structure acting automatically to produce these operations.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a view in plan showing the complete machine with which the present invention is concerned.

Fig. 2 is a view in transverse vertical section through the machine as seen on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and discloses the construction of a weight unit.

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation showing the conveyor and driving mechanism.

Fig. 4V is a view in perspective showing the Vresting upon their bottoms.

2 sorting mechanism control and indicating the electric circuit involved therein.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I0 indicates a main frame. This frame comprises base rails Il which carry a plurality of vertical uprights I2. Mounted on the upper ends of the uprights I2 is a rectangular frame structure comprising horizontal side rails I 3 and transverse end rails I4. a support for a driving motor I5 which is fitted with a pulley I5. The pulley I6 carries a belt I'I which is led around a relatively large pulley I8. The pulley IS is mounted upon a jack shaft I9. The jack shaft I9 is carried in bearings 20 and 2l. At the outer end of the jack shaft I9, as shown in Fig'. 1 of the drawing, is a pulley 22. This pulley carries a belt 23. The belt 23 is led around a relatively large reduction pulley 24.

'The reduction pulley 24 is mounted at one end of a transmission shaft 25. The shaft 25 is supported in a series of bearings Zt, 2 and 28. This shaft extends horizontally. Mounted upon the shaft 25 is a bevel gear 29 which meshes with a bevel gear 33. The gear is carried upon a vertical sprocket shaft 3l. The sprocket shaft 3I is supported from the frame structure Ill in bearings 32 and 33. Mounted upon the upper end of the shaft SI is a sprocket wheel 34. This sprocket wheel is designed to receive a conveyor chain 35, which chain lies in a horizontal plane. The conveyor chain 35 is also led around a sprocket 3B mounted upon a shaft 3l. The shafts 3i and 3i are parallel to each other. The shaft 3l is mounted in a suitable bearing structure 3S. The bearing structure is carried upon a horizontally disposed plate 39 which is formed with parallel slots 40. Bolts 4I pass through the bearing structure at opposite sides ofthe shaft 3l and permit the bearing structure 38 to be moved bodily to properly tension the conveyor chain 35. At intervals throughout the length of the conveyor chain 35 are horizontally extending feed fingers 42 which will engage articles such as cans 43. The fingers are spaced a distance from each other in order to carry the containers 43 through the machine in proper synchronism with the mechanism to permit a desired sorting operation to take place. The containers 43 are here shown as being fed into the machine along a can runway 44. In this runway the cans are crowded forwardly one at a time with the cans A timing member 45 is disposed adjacent to the discharge end of the runway. This member includes a cylindrical body portion around which a helical blade 46 is The base rails provide shaft 3| and the timing shaft 52 are driven synchronism in a manner to insure that the cans flowing into the machine will be separated by the timing device d5 so that the cans will be consecutively engaged by the feed fingers 42 on the conveyor chain. The cans from the runway M feed onto a floor 58 which extends horizontally from the end of the runway around a portion of the circumference of the gear 34 in an arcuate path and then along a straight path to a discharge runway 59. The straight length of the floor 58 extends along the outer side of the length of conveyor chain 35 extending from center to center of the shafts 3| and 3l. The floor 5B is interrupted along its straight length by a scales platform C5 for segregating heavy cans and by a scales platform 5| for segregating satisfactory cans from light-weight cans. An intermediate fixed floor section 58 bridges the gap between the platforms 5E and 5|. The scales platform El! agrees in width with the width of the floor 58. The' edge of the platform rst encountered by a container d3 in its travel is defined by a transverse straight edge 52. The opposite edge of the scales platform 5t is obliduely inclined, as indicated at 53,v and leads outwardly and forwardly from the inner edge of the platform. The scales platform 5t is mounted upon a Vertical yoke 54 having a central vertical slot to receive one end ofl a scales beam 55. This beam is mounted pivotally upon a bracket 55 carried by a support 67 which i-s secured to one of the frame side rails 53. A suitable pivot pin 65 extends through the yoke S and an opening 69 in the beam 65 so that the platform Bil will be properly supported upon it. The opposite arm of the beam 65 from that upon which the platform is supported extends inwardly beneath the sprocket chain and is fitted with a suitable counterbalancing weight 15 which may be moved to adjust the scales. At the free An electric contact element '.14 is mounted upon i and insulated from the arm 1| for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The contact member ill is designed to move into engagement with a contact member l5V when a can on the platform B is over-weight, since the long arm of the beam 55 will swing upwardly at that time. The contact member l5 is mounted upon an adjusting stem '15. This stem extends upwardly into a tubular housing 'il which is fixed in a bearing bracket 78. A shoulder i9 is formed on the stem 'i5 and is engaged by a spring 80 mounted within the tubular member TI and acting to yieldably hold the contact member 'l5 in a set position so that when it is engaged by the contact member 'it it may move upwardly. The contact member 'iii is connected with a conductor 8| which leads to a source of electric energy 82, The opposite side of the source 82 connects to a conductor 83. This conductor leads to one end of a solenoid winding 8d. The opposite end of this winding d is provided with a conductor 85. This conduc` tor leads to a contact member 86 which is car ried by a spring arm 37. The spring arm 81 exe tends beneath the scales platform S0 and has a cam portion 3S beyond the edge of the oor sec-Y tions 58 and nearest to the conveyor chain 25. A camA nger 89 extends downwardly from each of the feed fingers i2 to strike and depress the spring arm 8l. This will move contact memloer.4 85 out ofengagement with a contact 90 and interrupt the electric circuit through conductor 53|. The cam fingers 89 are disposed a desired distance to the rear of the feed ngers ft2 to, insure thaty after the solenoid circuit has been energized and a container has been discharged from the scales platform B the solenoid circuit willi beA positively broken, thus allowing the platform to be restored to its original hori zontal plane in alignment with the floor 58.

As previously explained, the forward edge 63 of the scales platform isl obliquely inclined. Under normalV conditions this. edge of the platformI is horizontally aligned with a correspondingly' inclined edge 95 of the intermediate floor section 5'8".y The edge 95 of the floor section is formed with a down-turned flange 95 so that when the scales platform Sil is in a position below the plane of the :door 58 the ange 95 will form an obliquely disposed barrier across the path of travel of the container 43 which has been over-weight and has caused the scales platform tc,V be depressed. The direction of inclination of the flange is outwardly and forwardly from the inner edge of the floor. Thus a can encountering this flange will be shifted laterally from the scales platform 6B as a feed finger fil-2' tends to push it forwardly. A can discharge disc 91 disposed at the edge of the scales platform to receive the container 43 as it is forced off of the platform. A pair of guide rails 9B and 99 extend over the discharge disc 5l to receive the container d3, the outermost guide rail being p0- sitioned so that the flange 25 will be tangent to the arc of the rail. The discharge disc 97 Vis mounted upon a. vertical shaft |55, which shaft discharge disc 9T so that cans may be fed from the feed disc @l onto the discharge disc |54 and along a continuation of the guide rails 98 and da which extend around and over the face of the discharge disc |54 and connect with a pair of straight parallel guide rails |05 and |55. Be-

neath the guide rails and |56 is a horizontally moving feed belt l5? mounted upon pulleys its and |59. The pulley it is carried upon a horizontal shaftr l mounted in suitable bearf ings on the frame, and which shaft carries a driving engagement with the sprocket |02. By this driving arrangement the two feed discs 91 and |94 will rotate in the same direction and will carry the containers 43 forwardly onto the belt |81. These are the containers which are overweight. They are taken to a table where contents can be removed from them to bring them within the limits of proper weight.

The opposite end of the oor section 58 from the oblique edge B3 is formed with a square transverse edge H9. This edge is parallel to an edge on the scales platform 6|. The opposite edge of the scales platform 6| is formed with an oblique edge |2| which is parallel to an edge |22 formed on the floor continuation 58". A downturned flange |23 is formed along the edge |22 and agrees in construction and purpose the same as the down-turned edge 96 on the floor section 53. The platform 6| is fitted with a scales and solenoid construction identical with that shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing with relation to the scales platform Gil, the diiference between the two structures being that the counterweight 'ID in connection with the scales platform 60 is set so that the platform will respond to a weight in excess of a specified minimum weight while the counterweight 'lil used in connection with the scales platform 3i is set so that the scales will respond to a maximum specied weight. Thus the scales platform 6i will respond to cans within a given maximum and minimum weight. A discharge disc |24 is provided to receive the cans. This disc is mounted upon a shaft |25 carried by bearings |23. A sprocket |21 is mounted on the shaft |25 and receives a sprocket chain |28. The sprocket chain |23 leads around a sprocket |29 on the shaft |00, and thus moves in unison therewith. Guide rails |36 and |3| lead over the discharge disc 24 and have straight parallel continuing rail sections |32 and |33 between which the containers 43 of satisfactory weight may pass. A discharge belt |34 leads to appropriate processing and closing machinery. Wheny however, the packages have already been processed the belt leads to a packaging table where the containers 43 may be placed in suitable cartons or otherwise stored. Containers 43 which have not been oleflected from the path of travel through the machine at either the scales platform 60 or 6| are then free to travel to the floor 58 and to an inspection table |35. The cans reaching this table are of light weight and operators must add sufficient material to bring them up to specifications.

As has been previously explained, the solenoid 84 is provided with electric circuits which are completed and broken by movement of the scales beams 55. Each of the solenoid coils is therefore fitted with a plunger |33 which is attached to a yoke 34 at its upper end. The lower end of the plunger, as indicated at |36', extends through an opening in a plate 37 on the bottom of the coil 84. A buifer washer |38 is provided to limit and cushion downward movement of the plunger |36. A bracket |33 is mounted upon the frame bracket (il and carries a bearing portion |40 through which the plunger portion |36 is guided.

In operation of the present invention, articles 43 are fed along the runway 44 to a point where they encounter the helical blade 46 of the timing member 45. At this time the stream of articles will be interrupted while the foremost article is fed forwardly at a rate of speed which will synchronize the articles with the feed fingers 42 on the conveyor chain 35. The chain will travel in the direction of the arrow a, as indicated in Fig. 1, and as a finger 42 sweeps across the end of the trackway 44 it will engage an article 43 and cause it to travel along the floor 58 between guide rails |4| and |42." As the feed nger pushes the article 43 forwardly along the floor 58 in the direction of the arrow b as shown in Fig. l, the article will move off of the end of the floor 58 and onto the rst scales platform 60. If the article has a weight which is less than a prescribed maximum weight the article will continue to travel along the runway through the machine. If, however, the article has a weight in excess of a prescribed minimum weight then the article will depress the scales platform 60 in opposition to the counterbalance '50. The electric contacts 14 and l5 are so adjusted that after a relatively short interval of movement of the beam 65 of the scales the members 'i4 and 15 will be in electrical contact. It is pointed out that the beam 65 has a short lever arm to which the scales platform 30 is connected and a relatively long lever arm which carries the contact-14. Due to this arrangement a relatively small downward movement of the scales platform 60 will produce a considerable movement of the contact member 14. As soon as the contacts 'I4 and 'I5 are in engagement an electric circuit will be completed from the source of electric energy 82 along a conductor 83 to the solenoid winding 84 and thence along conductor 35 to the contact 90 carried upon the frame of the machine. At this time the contact 8B is in electrical contact with the member to which a conductor 9| is attached. The circuit is then continued through the conductor 9| leading to contact 'i5 of the scales switch. Upon the completion of this circuit the solenoid 84 is energized instantly. This will act to pull the scales platform 60 down without delay so that the inclined fiange 96 of the floor member 58' will stand as a barrier across the path of travel of the article 43. As the'conveyor chain continues to move, the feed finger which is disposed in the rear of the article will force the article along the obliquely disposed ange 96 and cause it to move laterally in the direction of the arrow c and onto the discharge disc 91. Since the discharge disc is rotating in the direction of the arrow c the article will be carried away from the scales platform 60 and to a position between the guide rails 38 and 99. The article will continue to move along these guide rails until it passes off the edge of the disc 9i and onto the discharge disc |04.

It will then pass between the guide rails and onto the discharge belt |01. Here it will be directed between guide rails |05 and |06 and will eventually pass oif onto a receiving table |43. On this table the articles which are of excess weight are inspected and a sufficient amount of the contents is removed to give the articles an approved weight. After the over-weight container has passed from the scales platform B0 the finger 83 will engage cam portion 88 of spring 81 to cause the contacts 86 and 90 to be separated. When this has been accomplished the circuit including the source of electric energy 82 will be positively broken kand the counterbalance weight it on the scales beam 65 will act to move the scales platform 60 upwardly into the horizontal plane ofthe surface of the floor 58. Thus, due to the rapidity of movement of the scales platform G0 to and from its normal position the scales willbe in condition to receive the next succeeding VYIn the-:eventsthatthegweight of .an-article or y'carried fforward will .containers which meet weight specications and `containers 'which are light in. weight?. The; counterweight .10 on the :off the articles along .i said' trackwavfwhereby a u depression vof said platform causes anlarticle beam 65 associated lfvvith the scales Aplatform 61 is adjustedl so lthatfit will respond to the weight of .an `article.which ,fislrgreaterfthan a; minimum amount; andi-since the iscales platform 60, responds to an article .-havingaafcweight greaterfthan a maximum amount-itf1will beI obvious that the articles which depress thescales platform'l are within; thelimits Yofgaspecified maximum and minimumjweight and are .therefore up -to specifi- 1 nations.v An articlefofthisparticular weight will actuate the scales platform .6l-and. thev electrical apparatus associated therewith in thesamermany ner as previously-,described for the` platform 65. If the platform .6I is .moveddownwardly the container; will encounter the'obliquelyrdisposed y.

flange 1,23 and will. bezforcedlaterally oifof the platform .5 I as thev yfeedpnger;` 42. advances. The .articlewill thenzbe deposited upon the discharge disc |24andwillrbecarried around into a position `along apath of travel defined by the'guide l in the containeryvhich hasV been delivered thereto sof-that it will meetweight specifications.

In thefpresentfapplication. and drawings the 'i comprisingfatraclrway yalong-v;*which*` articles ar' advancedin a predeterminedgdirection :of travel,

scalefunitl includingya normally elevated decible; platform. constituting, a ico-planarrsec ticngof sai'dftrackway; a conveyor for propelling articlesaleng; said vtracliway-i and oversaid platform, means for-'driving.said conveyorthe..edge of said trackway at the far side` ofsaid platform being inclined relative to the .directionof travel :beingv propelled thereoverfto engage.said .inclined edge for lateral diversion from.. the, trackway, power l'means actuated by an initialslight depression of said-.platform by the weightf an article advanced thereon by said conveyor` to accelerate Jfurther epression of the platform and to hold said platform ina depressed. position to insure the diversion of*v said Yarticle from said trackway; and means actuated by. said conveyor driving meansafter the lateral diversion-of. the article from said platform for releasing said power means toV permit return vof said platform Yto elevated position.

-Yweight thecombination of a trackway along -.-containers AS-.have been shown as-being circular cans. .ltcis obviousf-howeverythatarticles' and i l fpackagesfofr other; shapes might-be handled by I the-lmachineivvithout inany .wise .varying the fundamentaleprinciples of thefinvention, and it wil-l also be Arecognized that the machine. may be 1 adjustediso that great accuracy-of-Iweight classi- `iication maybexrnade. Y

In the: specifications; andl drawings the Vscales -havef-been described as.beingof the weighted f* ft willthusbe seen that the methodV and means heredisclosed for Weighing and sorting articles involves a feWimplesteps of .procedureand a machine which` operates continuously, automati- Whieh articles may be propelled; a scales including a platformv comprising asecton ofsaidtrackway and normally disposed on the. samelevel therewith; a conveyor having arms for propelling articles along said trackway and over saidplatform, the edge of said trackway at the far. side of said platform being on a bias relativeto the ldirection of travel of said larticles along said trackway whereby a substantialdepression of said platform causes an article being .propelled thereover to engage said edge and be.,diverted vlaterally from said trackway; a normally open relectric circuitincluding a solenoid connected to and energized by a slight depression of said yplatform -by an article thereonv to quicklyimpart to the platform a substantial depressionthereby n with saidl conveyor to open saidsecond ,switch at cally and rapidlyto weigh and-sort articles as `of theimethodaslwell .aschangesin the combi- Y nation, .construction and arrangement of parts may be -rnadeiby` those Vslilledin the artwithout .to said platform to depress the same when venerfdepartingtfrom the spiritof theinvention as v claimed.

-Havingythusndescribed myf.invention,fwhat I l ,a claim andrdesiretosecureeby Letters Patent is:

l. A machine for classifying articlesfbygweight,

fa moment when an articlewhich has actuated said first switch has just -been diverted. laterally from over said platform, thereby freeing. said -scales to rapidly resume its normal balancewith said platform on the same level as adjacent. portions of said'trackway.

3. In a machine forV classifying Larticles by weight the combination of: aY trackway; along which articles may be propelled; a scales including a platform comprising a section of ,saidtrackway and normally disposed .on the same level therewith; a conveyor having arms for propelling articles along said trackway and over said platform, the edge of said trackway at the far side of said platform .being ,on a` bias, relative to the direction of travel of said v-articles .along said trackwayl whereby a substantial vdepression of said platform causes anarticlebeing lpropelled thereover to` engage said edge and `be ldiverted laterally.v from said trackwaypa normally open electric. circuit includingy Va solenoid connected lgized; aswitch in said circuitresponsive to a slight depression of said platform topcloser said circuit and energize saidsolenoid;` a second switch insaid circuit; and a camngercarriedby said conveyor for opening said second switch at a moment when an article which has actuated said rst switch has just been diverted laterally from over said platform, thereby freeing said scales to rapidly resume its normal balance with said platform on the same level as adjacent portions of said traekway.

' ALBERT HORNER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Number Name Date Bryant Dec. 10, 1929 Ripley Dec. 9, 1930 Perkins Oct. 31, 1933 Watson Mar. 19, 1935 Raymer Apr. 14, 1936 Dodge Sept. 7, 1937 Howard May 10, 1938 Snelling Sept. 5, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France July 17, 1907 Great Britain Apr. 24, 1939 

